Top Panelist Takeaways from BWELA 2011 Part 1

My primary goal was networking and getting a feel for what BlogWorld and the New Media Expo was about. I participated in two expert panels and listed a few takeaways.

Deanna Brown mentioned that Federated Media and WordPress are joining forces to allow ads on free WordPress blogs. In the past, free WordPress blogs weren’t allowed to monetize and display ads. WordPress saw that users were fleeing in droves to self-hosted solutions. Kudos to WordPress and Federated Media for fixing a sinking ship. Perhaps NetFlix needs some lessons here. Ouch! Did I just type that? The Federated ad option will appear in the first quarter of next year.

Michael Stelzner, Founder of Social Media Examiner, changed the way I looked at and described myself. “You are not a blogger. You are a publisher!” For the rest of the show I introduced myself as a publisher. He empowered me to think that I am just as important as a LA Times journalist. So repeat after me, “I am a publisher! I am a writer! I am a content creator!”

Lisa Stone, Co-Founder & CEO of BlogHer, made me see in 5 seconds, without saying a word, why she is as successful as she is. As I was asking the expert panel my question, I let it slip that I just made my first year blogging. She adorably grinned and gave me two thumbs up. It wasn’t a media empress advising a lowly blogging peasant. It was two friends celebrating a grand achievement. If I were a woman, I would have joined the BlogHer community in a split second.

Jace Hall isn’t just a muscle bound comedian. He knows new media, period. He ranted how new media will replace traditional media. He compared smaller media publishers to independent music artists on iTunes. Jace further explained that old media won’t adapt to the times because of economics and how the old guard will just pass the problem to the new. Check out Jace Hall at Jace Hall Show.

Aisha Tyler is beautiful and funny, but what stands out is that she is herself and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. She curses like a sailor and also has a sweet, playful side. When I mentioned Buck Inspire, she gleefully said, “Oooh I love that name” and stared star eyed at me when I asked my question. I had to focus on the task at hand as my inner Joey died to say, “How YOU doing?” Check out Aisha Tyler at Girl On Guy.

Tune in next time for Part 2 where I’ll look at iJustine, Rick Fox, Tim Street, and Peter Shankman.

I like the classification of publisher instead of blogger. I think I will stick with writer, but I use blogger too. I like challenging perspectives about blogging – it’s not just a public journal – it’s so much more!

Interesting news about the WordPress monetization. It’s funny–I asked some of the guys manning the WordPress booth and they said there was no monetization and didn’t mention anything about the upcoming change. I wonder if they knew. It’s a good idea. I was considering starting a WordPress test site as an experiment and now this gives me more of a reason to think about it.

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Fascinating news about the WordPress monetization. It is funny–I asked some of the guys manning the WordPress booth and they mentioned there was no monetization and did not talk about something about the approaching alter. I wonder if they knew. It is a good idea. I was contemplating starting a WordPress exam website as an experiment and now this provides me far more of a cause to feel about it.